Translyvanian Angel
by Mischief1689
Summary: A plot in Van Helsing.Chesshika has been shunned all her life because of her strange looks & unearthly tendancies.Once Van Helsing comes,what'll happen to the girl who was supposed to be Translyvania's next queen, but now is hunted by Dracula?Some history
1. Default Chapter

Translyvanian Angel  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Van Helsing characters, but however, I DO own Chesshika Guirescu. Any use of her, any of my original  
ideas, or any plagiarism will be retorted with a rolling of the heads.  
Thank you!  
  
Chesshika Guirescu  
A Van Helsing Fan-Fic  
By Mischief1689  
  
Deep in the dense woods in Translyvania, a lone rider galloped hard. Pale hands guided the snorting horse in-between the low hanging branches that reached out to grab them. Through the trees above them, the rider glimpsed a sliver of moonlight. Urged on, the horse snorted once, twice, and charged forward, trying to evade its hell-bent rider. A scream cut the night air, and the rider tumbled off the horse. "Noooooooooooo!"  
  
Chapter One:  
  
Van Helsing' and Anna's heads shot up at the first knock on the great doors below them. Carl looked up from a book he was pouring over. "I think you have company." Van Helsing pushed himself away from the desk he sat at, and walked over to the tower's windows. He glanced down, and turned back to Anna. "It looks like half the village is down there." Anna sighed. "What now?"  
  
The manor's doors were wrenched open, and the gathered villagers trickled in. Supported on a stretcher between a few of the men lay a striking young woman, her head lolled to the side, lips parted slightly. Anna's eyes widened. "Where did you find her? What happened?"  
One of the men stepped forward, hands clasped on his hat in front of him. "She was...she was in the forest. The horse came back alone. We found her this morning. She was near...the abyss. She had fallen off about half a mile from where he died."  
Anna put her fingers up to her temples. "Is she...?"  
"No."  
"And was she...?"  
"Yes."  
"Where? How much was taken?"  
The men holding the stretcher put it down carefully, and one pulled down the handkerchief that was loosely tied around the girl's neck and pointed. "There, miss. Just a bit. We think he was playing with her, cat- and-mouse like." Two small red marks were punctured into the girl's pale skin. Van Helsing hissed in a breath behind Anna. Carl scuttled over to the girl's side and probed her neck carefully. "It's not bad at all. Didn't take much blood. Just marked her. She'll be fine once she wakes. Not enough to kill her. Didn't turn her either." Van Helsing looked at Anna. "Why would he do this? Who is she?" Anna looked down at the girl. "Her name is Chesshika Guirescu. He has always been after her. Since she came here...he's always hunting her. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. It's always the same. Just takes a bit of blood, and leaves her. He used to do it to taunt Velkan, but he has always had an obsession with her. And she was my brother's fiancée." "Why her?" Anna pulled the handkerchief farther down, and rolled Chesshika's head upright. At the front of her white neck, there was a small reddish mark. "She is marked. She's not normal." Van Helsing shook his head. "I still don't understand." Carl stepped forward. "I know about those. Red marks denote the fated. Specific placement means a specific fate. Hers on her neck means that it has something to do with her life. Ah, and death. Probably." Van Helsing shook his head, hair flying. "That's ridiculous. It's just a flaw in her skin pigment. She was probably born with it." Anna's eyes blazed. "Don't come here and criticize our beliefs, Van Helsing, even if they are only superstitions. Besides, how would you explain this?" Anna pulled down the girl's lip with her finger. Then villagers turned away and crossed themselves. Carl gasped, and Van Helsing stared. The girl's canines on the left side of her mouth were long and pointed. The right side of her mouth was completely normal. Carl stepped back from the girl's body. "What IS she?" Anna let go of Chesshika's lip and stood up. "That, I was hoping you could tell me."  
  
Chesshika's eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright. Moonlight drifted in through her bedroom window, pooling on the floor and her bed. "Uhnh," she moaned as she put her head in her hands. What had happened? She remembered riding out alone, near midnight. She remembered galloping through the woods, going to the abyss. She remembered...wings. She clamped her eyes shut again, and drew her hands down to her neck, untying the silk handkerchief someone had tied around it. She threw it to the floor, her fingers already examining the two raised bumps on the side of her neck, evenly spaced and perfectly round. Her fingers flew off her neck, and she looked down at them in loathing. Again. It had happened again. Laying back, she stared at the high stone ceiling. Why her? She already had enough against her, without his attention. She already was despised for her strange appearance. In a village of dark farmers, her fair hair, ice-green eyes and pale skin brought enough unwanted attention. Not to mention the mark on her neck, or her malformed teeth. Thinking made her restless. She thrashed around the wide bed, cold. It used to be that Velkan would wake up at the slightest movement from her. It used to him that kept her warm. 'It also used to be,' she thought to herself, 'that he was alive.' Awash in thoughts of regret and anger, she fell back into a troubled sleep. In her dreams, wing flaps followed her.  
  
Van Helsing looked across the courtyard, to the backs of toiling farmers. His eyes were particularly focused on a blonde figure, carrying rocks away from the field. She was easy to spot, being a head shorter than most of the men and women working, and with her hair like a banner, whipping above her head. Anna quietly walked up beside him. She smiled grimly. "She still works out in the fields. Even after she and Velkan became engaged, she continued to work with the villagers. Velkan hated it. About once a month they had a tremendous fight over it. My brother always thought she was 'working below her status'. Chesshika reminded him that before, she had been even lower then most of the farmers. She was alone, strange, in a remote village. She's been shunned for most of her life. Then Velkan found her. Fell in love with her. Never was apart from her. Gradually, the people accepted it. Stranger things have happened up here. He showered her with affection. Nothing was too good for her. He bought her a horse, clothing, jewels. My father let it all pass. He said it was up to Velkan. Now, she's just apart from us all again." "How do you mean, apart? "You can see it in her eyes. She's somewhere else. She may live here and work here. She may be tied to this land by her heritage and my brother's death, but she's always connected deeper." "Do you like her?" "I love her. She's my sister by my brother's intentions. Chesshika, she's a good person. Intelligent, courageous, loyal. But at the same time, I can never tell if she's human. Something about her, it seems evil. Wrong. It's not her personality, but every so often, you touch on something in her that seems unnatural." Van Helsing looked out at the girl, then back at Anna. "Would you like me to talk to her?" Anna looked back at him. "If you want."  
  
Chesshika sat down on the well's edge in the village square. She kicked her boots off, and rolled her loose pant legs up. From beside her, she lifted up a bucket of water and poured it over her head. She tilted her head back, letting the water run down the back of her neck and down her back. "Better?" a deep voice asked from behind her. She spun around, bucket still in hand. A tall man stood near her, a stranger to her. "Yes," she replied. "And you are?" "Van Helsing. I'm here to...take care of something." "Dracula." "Yes. How could you guess?" "We have a few that come in every few years. Your clothing is enough in it's self. Black long jacket? Wide-brimmed hat? It screams monster hunter. I hope you fare better then the rest of them." "What happens to them?" Chesshika tilted her head up to look at him. "They don't come back," she told him flatly. Van Helsing looked seriously at her. "Can I talk with you for a few minutes?" Chesshika considered. "Yes," she said finally. "Let's go back to the manor." "You live there." It wasn't a question. Van Helsing stated it. Chesshika looked at him closely. "Yes, I do now." "You didn't always." Another statement. "No. I lived as a common villager here before, but I suppose you already know that." "Yes." Van Helsing answered. As they walked toward the manor, he noticed that he was having trouble keeping up with the girl, even though she was at least a foot and a half shorter. Chesshika moved with a sort of unnatural grace, moving easily in her own skin in a way that reminded Van Helsing of a cat. A dangerous one.  
  
Chesshika took him up to the tower. He was slightly surprised, but then realized that Chesshika knew exactly what was going on. With one voyager, there was usually another. The door opened with Carl sitting at a large table, looking at a map in a book, and she wasn't let down. "Well, well, well. Who have we here?" she asked. Carl looked up. His mouth made a silent 'O', and Chesshika stood feet planted wide, hands on her hips. Finally, words fell out of his mouth. "You're the girl they brought in last night! With the red mark! The one that Dracula's after!" A faint smile turned up the corners of Chesshika's mouth. "Correct. And you are?" Van Helsing stepped in front of her. "His name is Carl. He's a friar." "Friend of yours?" "Yes." "Doing the reading on the subject?" "Yes." Chesshika cut her eyes to Carl. "Put the books and scrolls away. You don't need them." Carl looked confused, eyebrows furrowed. "What?" Chesshika repeated herself. "Put the books away." Carl closed the cover of the book in his hand, and placed it on the table. "But why?" Chesshika smiled humorlessly. "Well, you have me here now, don't you?" She gracefully sank into a nearby chair, gesturing at two others for Van Helsing and Carl to sit in. "Well, I said we could talk. Talk." Van Helsing leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees. "Where did you come from?" "Translyvanian bred and born." "And your parents?" "I have no idea. I never knew them." "How did they die?" "I don't know." "Why?" "I've always been an orphan. For as long as I've known I've been on my own," Chesshika said in a steely voice. "Fine. Anna says you were engaged to her brother, Velkan." "I was." "How did you meet him?" "In this village." "How long have you known each other?" "How long DID we know each other. He's dead now." "I'm aware of that. I'm sorry. How long DID you know each other for?" "Years. Since I was seventeen." "And how old are you now?" "Twenty." "How long were you engaged?" "Three years. Since the year we became close." "Long time. What happened to him?" "I know you know that." "I do, but I'd like to hear it from you." "Being the first born son; the boyar, or lord or prince; and second to last member of the Valerious family of boyars, he and Anna are the only ones left standing between Dracula and his true immortality. So Dracula captured him. Let a werewolf loose on him. Something went wrong with the plan to save him. He went over the abyss's edge trying to save Anna. With the werewolf." "How long ago was this?" "Two months." "And how long have you been hunted by Dracula?" "Since I was sixteen. Six years." "Since before Velkan knew you." "...slightly." "What do you mean, slightly?" Van Helsing asked, raising an eyebrow. "When you said knew, I thought you meant knew well. I'd known Velkan since I was fourteen." Chesshika yawned at the end of her sentence, covering her mouth with a slender hand. She caught Carl staring at her mouth and smiled widely, showing her large fangs and the normal canines in a clashing smile. He looked away quickly. She turned back to Van Helsing, who was frowning. "I've gotten used to the looks."she stated. "So Dracula started stalking you after you knew Velkan." "Yes." "Why do you suppose?" Chesshika rose swiftly and fluidly. "I have no idea. How am I supposed to fathom the way he thinks?" Van Helsing rose as well, and gestured back to her seat. "Please, sit down. I didn't mean to insult you." Chesshika sat again, eyes hard. "So do you think he started to stalk you to torment Velkan?" "No. Not at first. But maybe after." "Why do you say that?" Chesshika leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes. Van Helsing looked closely, observing that her eyes narrowed into slits like a feline's. Odd.  
"The first time he definitely didn't give a shyte about me. I was just going to be a meal." She closed her eyes, in thought. Inside her mind, she played the scene back, narrating for Van Helsing' and Carl's benefit.  
"It was late. I was stupid, going out into the fields late after dark. I wanted to look at the stars. It was a clear night out. That was why he found me.  
I had fallen asleep. I didn't wake up until he was right next to me. I threw my arm out to try to stop him." She gestured the movement, throwing her left arm out with her palm flat. "He grabbed my hand and laughed. I screamed. He covered my mouth and bent my head back." She paused.  
"Then what?" Carl asked eagerly. Chesshika glared at him, and he was struck by the feeling of scorn. "Sorry."  
"Then he...stopped. He had seen the mark in the moonlight. He took his hand off my mouth and looked at me hard. It made my skin crawl. He looked at me and said, "That would make killing you a shame." I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Before I knew what he was doing, he bit me in the neck, here." She pointed to the left side of her neck. "He only took a swallow. Then he let go of my head, licked my neck where I was still bleeding, and kissed it." Then she smiled in her narration, as if recalling a fond memory. "I scratched him then. He growled, and I slid backward. Then he laughed. He said I had spirit, and that he'd be back for me again. Then he turned into a giant bat and flew away, leaving me there. I passed out. They found me in the morning."  
"That was the first time?" Van Helsing asked, riveted by the story.  
"Yes."  
"And how many more times has this happened?"  
Chesshika grimaced. "Numerous. I can't count them all. Somewhere around twenty times now. Maybe more."  
"That's a lot. You should be more careful."  
Chesshika's eyes sparked. "That's what Velkan told me. I can take care of myself."  
"Velkan told you that? Why didn't you listen to him?"  
She locked eyes with him. "Have you ever tried not being bitten by a vampire?" she asked him in a dangerous voice, soft yet full of malice.  
"No. I don't suppose it's easy."  
"You've never been bitten."  
"No, I haven't."  
"Hope that you aren't. It's not pleasant if you struggle. If you let them, it can be quite satisfying though."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The rhythm of having your blood sucked out of you can be quite seductive. They can transfix you with their eyes, hold you under their spell. After awhile, you get used to it."  
"What did Velkan do about this?"  
"What could Velkan do about it? He tried everything. Trying to find Dracula, trying to bargain with him, locking me in my room. I hated that one. He knew I did too, and couldn't stand to hold me in there. Nothing worked. Velkan was weak. He was trying to save me. Sooner or later, he would have lost me to one of the sides."  
"What do you mean?"  
"One, Dracula is hunting me. That alone is enough to send the villagers after me. If you knew that there was some chance that someone would be killing your family, wouldn't you kill them before they got the chance? There's no lost love between them and I, but I know what they mean."  
"The villagers?"  
"Yes."  
"And the other?"  
"Look at me."  
"You stand out too much."  
"Rumor travels fast."  
"You're different."  
"And difference is a dangerous thing here. The same looks that attracted Velkan and Dracula to me are a curse for me in the village, in this country. We're steeped in superstition and fear here. My abnormalities only help to distance that gap."  
"Why do you stay?"  
"Why could I leave?" she shot back.  
"Did you love him?"  
"Velkan?"  
"Yes."  
"Of course I loved him. He was my friend, my protector, my confidante, my lover."  
There was a soft knock on the door, and all three turned to look. It opened, and Anna stepped in. "I thought you would be here." She looked at Chesshika and smiled. "How are you?" Chesshika gave her a genuine smile back. "Fine. And you?"  
"The same."  
"Good." Chesshika directed her pale ice-green eyes back at Van Helsing and Carl. "If you are through with me..." she said, letting the ending hang for room of answer. "No, we're not. I have something that I want to try with you." Carl interrupted. Chesshika looked interested. "And that would be...?" 


	2. Translyvanian Angel, Chapter Two:

Chapter Two:  
  
"I want to test your tolerance for things that vampires can't tolerate." Carl expanded. "Things like?"  
"Garlic, sunlight, crucifixes, holy water, mirrors, things like that."  
"But not stakes?"  
"Well, we don't want to KILL you..." Carl said, then immediately held up a small mirror in front of her face. Chesshika's face reflected sarcasm as it reflected back at her, fine eyebrows cocked, full mouth in a smirk. Carl looked at the reflection in dismay. "I was hoping to catch you off- guard..." The smirk widened, and Chesshika laughed, a full and throaty sound. "Next."  
Carl handed her a clove of garlic. "Do you want to me eat a piece?" she asked, taking it. "Whatever you want," he said with a shrug. She peeled off the skin and popped a piece in her mouth, chewing and swallowing. Carl's shoulder's hunched deeper in defeat. He picked up a flask. "Holy water. Here." Chesshika took it. "This hurt?"  
"No."  
"Try this." A golden crucifix.  
"No."  
"Any difference?"  
"No."  
"Are you sure?" Van Helsing asked suddenly. Chesshika turned to face him. "Yes." Anna cleared her throat. "Well, it's, err, melting."  
"What? "Carl and Chesshika yelped at the same time. Chesshika opened her hand, and sure enough, smoke was winding up through her fingers and a small trickle of gold was melting off and dripping to the floor. Carl quickly snatched it from her. "Here." He led her to the window. She squinted against the sunlight, her pupils narrowing into slits. "Bright, but warm," she announced when she didn't go up in flames. Carl sighed, but Van Helsing filed that information away. That was the second time he had seen her eyes narrow into slits like that. He had seen that the day before when the three brides of Dracula had attacked the village upon his arrival. Their eyes had been like those of a cat's as well. Interesting.  
"Ok, let's take a trip." Carl said, grabbing Chesshika's forearm. "Where to?" she asked.  
"The church."  
"You really want to prove that I'm a vampire or at least close to one, huh?"  
Carl looked ashamed for a minute. "Well, yes. At least that way we would know what you were." Chesshika shrugged. "Agreed."  
  
The four of them stood in front of the church. Carl leaned against the side of it, Van Helsing and Anna sat on the steps, and Chesshika stood before them all, arms crossed. "So we now know that she has a natural aversion to churches, can melt crucifixes, doesn't like the texture of garlic, and is nocturnal." Carl said wearily. "What does that mean?" Anna asked. "Absolutely nothing." Carl and Van Helsing said at the same time. Chesshika just grinned.  
  
A storm rolled in later that night. Chesshika startled to consciousness with the first loud clap of thunder. She sat up and looked out the window straight across the room. A bolt of lightning split the sky and illuminated the village below ever so briefly. Chesshika sighed and settled back into bed. Rain pelted against the windows, and she huddled up into a ball. She drifted back to sleep, cold and frightened.  
  
Chesshika had the strangest feeling. She could swear that someone was lying next to her, radiating body heat. She snuggled closer, and someone wrapped their arms around her. The odd thing was, they were wet. And she could feel them. 'This is an odd dream,' she thought to herself in her sleep. 'I think I want to wake up now...'  
Chesshika opened her eyes, and they promptly widened. "Velkan? " "Darling, I'm here." "But...how? " "Shhh...go back to sleep. I'm right here. You're safe." A sad look crossed his face. "Velkan, what is it?" "Nothing, love." "Velkan..." "Shhh." Chesshika thought for a moment. "I don't like being alone, Velkan." "Neither do I, Chessh." "Stay here?" "For now, yes." "Thank you." She curled closer to him and breathed his scent in. He smelled musky, and wet, like soil after it had rained. "I love you, Chessh." She smiled at her old pet name that he called her and raised her head to look up at him. "Am I dreaming?" "Maybe." Chesshika looked down again. "I don't want to be dreaming. I want you to be here when I wake up." Velkan looked down at here. "I can't, pet. I'm sorry." "Why?" "Because...it's complicated." "I hate complications." "I know you do. Still impatient as always." "Well..." She could feel him smile. "No changes in you, Chessh." She looked at his shoulder and traced it with her fingertip. "What about you?" He stiffened, and she looked up. His face was hard, and for a second in a flash of light from lightning, she thought that she saw a wild look in his eyes, something feral and filled with rage. "Velkan?" His features turned back to normal, and he smoothed her hair down. "It's alright. Everything's going to be fine," he said, kissing her forehead. He raised her head up with a finger under her chin, and kissed her gently. It seemed as though he was being as careful as he could be that he didn't get his mouth in the way of Chesshika's. She frowned inwardly. That wasn't like him. He deepened the kiss, but his mouth remained distant, mindful of his teeth and the proximity of her mouth in relation to his. She whimpered softly, and his hand traveled down her side to circle her waist, comforting her. She splayed her hands across his chest. His warmth enveloped her, and his mouth traveled oh so carefully down her neck.  
  
The lightning and thunder drowned out any other sense of being then each other.  
  
Chesshika woke up later, and smiled, stretching luxuriously. She turned to her side, and was opening her mouth to say 'hello' to Velkan when she snapped it shut. He wasn't there. There was an indent in the bed where he had lain, and the warmth from his body still lingered under the sheets. She frowned, then shrugged. She had expected as much after their conversation earlier that night. The night...she smiled. He was back. She didn't know how, but he was back. She dressed quickly, and hurried down the stairs. She burst into the large dining room, face aglow. "Anna. Anna! Did you see him? He's back! Where is he? Is he with you?" Anna and Van Helsing looked up, and Anna's eyes misted over. "You saw him, too?" Chesshika, impatient, answered. "Of course. Where did he go?" Anna's eyes spilled over, and she stood up, drawing Chesshika to her. "Oh, you poor girl. When did you see him?" Chesshika was confused. "Tonight. He was with me." Van Helsing hissed in a breath, and Anna drew back. "What?! Did he bite you? Oh God, Chesshika, why didn't you get someone?!" Chesshika batted Anna's hands away as they pulled at her clothing. "Anna, what are you talking about? Van Helsing, what's wrong? Why would he bite me? Why did I need to get someone?" Her face clouded over. "What's going on? Are you two turned mad?" Anna turned to Van Helsing. "Earlier, when the storm started, the moon was hid behind clouds, wasn't it?" He nodded. Anna turned back to Chesshika. "The moon...Velkan..." "What about the moon? Velkan was fine." "Chesshika, tell me again what happened to Velkan." Van Helsing cut in gently. "He fell off the ravine edge into the abyss with the werewolf! For the second time!" she yelled irately. "Where is h-..." She stopped. "He fell off the edge with the werewolf...with the werewolf...his mouth, so careful with his mouth...bitten...the moon was covered...wouldn't be able to stay...werewolf..." she whispered to herself, eyes wide. Her mouth fell open and she covered her face with her hands. "Oh my god, he's a werewolf." Van Helsing nodded. "I am so sorry, Chesshika. He came in this night. He was sent, for Anna. He resisted, and ran outside. We followed, but he got away. When the storm came, he must have come back for you." Chesshika slowly fell, her knees hitting the stone floor hard. Her upper body crumbled over it, and she rested her forehead on the cold stone. "Oh my God...Velkan..." Anna helped pick her back up, and Chesshika stood unsteadily. "Where did he come from?" she asked finally. Anna looked away. Van Helsing looked straight at Chesshika. "From what your sister has told me, the werewolves tend to work,... work with Dracula." Chesshika bit down on her bottom lip, hard. Her upper left canine sliced through the skin, and a trickle of blood flowed from it onto her chin. She licked it up. "Where do we find them?"  
  
Dracula paced the floor of his laboratory. He looked down at the transforming Velkan. "New werewolves are so unruly." Velkan howled, tearing at his transforming flesh. Dracula looked down at him. "Oh, do be quiet." Velkan shuddered, settling back into his human form. He gasped, and looked up at Dracula. "You...you...evil bastard!" Dracula laughed. "Oh my, see the puppy growl." He bent down and placed a hand under Velkan's chin, against his throat, choking him. "Did you find her? What about your sister Anna? Is she dead yet?" Velkan choked, and Dracula laughed. "What? I can't understand you. Speak up." Velkan glared murder at him. Dracula released him. "Now. Tell me." "Never." "Oh yes, Velkan. Your sister is just a nuisance, but won't it be amusing when her own brother kills her when he can't help himself in wolf form?" "I won't, ever. I love my sister." "Oh, I know you do. That's why it will be even better when you DO kill her. Now, and what about our little pale angel?" "Leave her out of this, Vladislaus. She has no part in this. This is between our families." "But wasn't she about to become part of your family before the tragic accident? "  
Velkan lunged at him, and Dracula caught him by the throat, slamming  
him against the wall. "Don't. You. Dare. Touch. Me. Insolent. Puppy." Velkan gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes down at the Count. "Ah, there,"Dracula said breezily, stepping back. "Now what do you have to say?"  
"I say the same as I did before: Keep her out of this. Chesshika isn't a part of this game." Velkan grated out. Dracula looked at the young werewolf. "She isn't part of this game? Tell me, Velkan, boyar, why would one so prestigious as you actually look at such a low orphan in the first place? You wouldn't have." Dracula circled him slowly. "She was just so odd, so strange, such a wonderful oddity, so strikingly exotic." Dracula leaned in closer to Velkan and whispered in his ear: "You couldn't keep your eyes off her. She bewitched you." Velkan roared and swung at Dracula. The Count caught his hand and forced him down. "Don't," he said in a voice filled with iron. Velkan gritted his teeth. The Count continued. "You see, Velkan, I have something that you want. Something that you crave. And for this, you will serve me infinitely. I have the antidote, the cure, for a werewolf bite that will restore you to normal. And because your wolf form is so loathsome, and of such an inconvenience; (oh yes, I know where you were this night after your complete FAILURE to kill your sister; you went and sought refuge with Chesshika;) that knowledge that you can never safely spend a night, spend a period of time with her as long as you are still a wolf, THAT will drive you to serve me. But unfortunately for you, my hapless friend, I too have had my eye on your wonderful fiancée for awhile. And I would take a guess to say, longer then you have. I knew what she tasted like long before you did. I knew the flavor of her blood, the ultimate bond."  
Velkan twisted beneath Dracula's grip. "Chesshika would never agree to any kind of bond to you."  
"Aren't you so naïve. She doesn't need to agree, she just needs to be persuaded. Or rather, transfixed. She's so easy to catch unawares. And at this point, she doesn't care anymore. She doesn't even fight. Your little warrior angel, lets me bleed her without a noise. By this point, you just need to bring her here. I'll take care of the rest."  
Velkan gasped as Dracula suddenly twisted his arm farther behind him, leaning into his back. He arched, eyes closed and mouth open, gasping for air. His backbone and arm muscles strained against the vampire's grip. "I refuse to bring her to you! She won't follow me. Not on my life would I do that," he choked out. Dracula wrenched his arm back again, harder. "That could be arranged. You see, I don't like it when people touch things that belong to me."  
"She'll never belong to you."  
"What a sweet sentiment. You can keep that thought for awhile. It will keep your mind in denial."  
"There's no denial about it, Vladislaus. Chesshika will never be yours, never. "  
Dracula's face hardened and his eyes narrowed. "We shall see about that, boyar. "He spat the word. "In the meantime, your werewolf energy will help bring my children to life. Up you go." He picked Velkan up by his throat and slammed him into the pod behind him. Dracula's minions, the Dwergi, quickly fastened the metal skullcap and restraints around Velkan's body. Velkan locked eyes with Dracula. "I might have failed my family, but my sister will not. And if she doesn't, Chesshika will." Velkan grinned, and held his right hand into two fingers beside himself in their bonds. "For, if two become one," he demonstrated, bringing his two fingers together, "Don't they become one? Family to family line?" Dracula glared murder at him, and Velkan laughed. "I may be the second to last of my family line, but it's comforting to know that there is someone who you love who can kill you if she wants." Velkan leaned forward toward the vampire in his bonds. "Don't you know what she is? Haven't you figured that out yet?" Dracula gritted his teeth and turned to his side. He cranked a wheel sharply to its side, and the pod holding Velkan started it's ascent into the open roof, where lightning flashed overhead.  
  
Chesshika tilted the hat slightly sideways over her head, shielding her right eye from the rain. She shook her head, and rainwater went flying off hat and hair. Van Helsing and Anna both looked her from horses beside her. "Are you sure you still want to go through with this?" Van Helsing asked. Anna nodded, concerned. Chesshika shot them a look. "Of course. Let's go. We don't have much time. At midnight...there will be no turning back." She spurred her horse on, and the well-trained steed surged forward. She stroked its neck, and looked back over her shoulder at Anna and Van Helsing. "Come on!" she called. Van Helsing started forward, and Anna followed. "Who taught her to ride?" he called over the rain. "Velkan. She already knew how, but he gave her the horse, tack, lessons, everything." A trace of envy in her voice wasn't lost on Van Helsing. It seemed as if while Velkan was busy with his fiancée, his sister had gotten jealous at the attention lavished on the girl. "Well, the lessons seem to have paid off. She's good." Anna shook her head. "She was always a natural." Adding, she said, "At everything."  
  
Chesshika couldn't believe how slow they were. Anger and frustration goaded at her, and she urged for more speed. She smiled grimly as her gelding pressed faster with more speed. Velkan had chosen a good horse. Now let it get her there in time to save him.  
  
Van Helsing saw movement in front of him. He turned to look at Chesshika. "She sped up," he said incredulously. "What is she, insane? She'll get there before we do and be alone." Anna nodded. "Hurry. She might be the last hope if anything happens to me. I don't know much about her relationship with my brother, but I know," She paused. "Knew Velkan, and after three years of engagement, something had to be going on between them. My brother wasn't one to wait for marriage to, um, consummate their...well, their engagement. The marriage was never a definite thing. They seemed to be happy just being engaged, and well, my brother was never one for self- control when it came to his libido. Maybe that bond will be as strong as blood." Van Helsing grinned, and Anna looked at him sternly. He coughed, trying to cover his amusement. "Three years is a long time," he said dryly, shrugging. Anna rolled her eyes, and her horse picked up to a gallop after Chesshika.  
  
Chesshika slowed her gelding as she came into the open courtyard of the old castle. 'So this is Castle Frankenstein. It looks so...homey,' she thought sarcastically. She slid off her horse, and whispered to it. It flicked an ear forward, and blew out his nostrils softly. She patted its forehead. "Good boy," she whispered. She walked across the rain-slicked courtyard, her footfalls making no sound on the cobblestones, long black coat whirling around her back and legs. "Into the dragon's lair..." she whispered. "Alone, as always. Some things are better done alone, your own way."  
  
Velkan gritted his teeth, straining against the straps that held him. The open window in the roof was coming closer and closer. 'Oh my God, this is really it,' he thought in desperation. 'This is how I'm going to die. My life energy will give life to thousands of little vampires that will kill my people. I've failed my family. Anna, don't fail me. And then there's Chessh...what will happen to her once I'm gone? They'll kill her once they find out...my poor Chessh...why did you ever come here?'  
  
Van Helsing and Anna trotted into the courtyard, horse's shoes clattering on the wet stones. Anna pointed to a familiar black horse. "There," she said. Van Helsing nodded, and pointed at the edge of a black cloak as it whipped around a corner. "And there."  
  
Chesshika's senses were on fire. Heightened almost unbearably by her awareness, they were going off with little alarms at every small sound, every tiny waft of air. "There, there!" they shrieked. She thrust her jaw forward and pressed on, up the stairs, two at a time. Small thoughts processed. 'You're not making any noise...you're walking straight into a place you should be running away fast in the other direction from...if he catches you...Velkan, have to find him fast...save Velkan...this almost seems familiar...there's no lights...and you aren't running into things...how odd...they really will kill you now...' She ignored most of them, keeping in the front of her mind the one thing that was important: Save Velkan. A few small sounds caught her attention, and she whipped behind a pillar, peering across the side. Small figures in tattered clothing, masks and goggles walked past the other side of the pillar she was hiding behind, talking amongst themselves in a strange language of growls and gibberish. 'Dwergi...' she thought. 'Nasty, evil little things. Dracula's minions...they'll lead me straight to him. Wonderful. Where Dracula is, Velkan should be.' She felt a pang in her heart. 'Or what was Velkan...' She shook her head forcefully. No, Velkan was still in there. Somewhere inside the beast, Velkan was trapped. The small Dwergi passed, and she counted to ten before she slunk out from behind the pillar, following them at a safe distance. They led her down the long hall, up another flight of stairs. And they passed through a large door, into a room that was lit brilliantly from the inside. The hall was flooded with light for an instant was the Dwergi passed through, and she shrunk back into the shadows. The door shut, and Chesshika started forward again. She stood in front of the door, sizing it up. Dracula was in there, and Velkan, she knew it. And something was going on, probably something bad. Something evil. Her blood boiled with rage, and a piece of shattered glass imbedded in the door caught her glance. Her pale green eyes were positively glowing, pupils dilated into slits of anger. Gnashing her teeth, wincing as her large canines ripped into the side of her mouth, she raised a heavily booted foot, and slammed it into the door, bursting it open.  
  
Van Helsing and Anna ran through the castle. A group of Dwergi stopped their progress for a minute. "Dwergi. Dracula's minions. Kill them if you get a chance; they'll do worse to you if you don't," Anna whispered. Van Helsing nodded. "Where could she be? She's moving too fast...and she doesn't know her way around." Anna shrugged. "She doesn't know her way around here, does she?" Van Helsing asked again. He received another shrug. "It could just be one of those things," Anna supplied. "You know, I'm starting to like that girl less and less." "She's just unnatural. She can't help it." "She's spooky, that's what she is." Van Helsing countered back. Anna shrugged yet again. "Eww...what is this place?" she asked as they walked through a door into a long hall absolutely covered with small green, mucus- y sacs. "I think...I think we found the nursery." Van Helsing said.  
  
Velkan heard the doors open with a bang from below him as he continued to move upward. 'Someone's not happy...' he thought through his fear. 'I hope Dracula gets hell from them...'  
  
The doors slammed shut again behind Chesshika, leaving her standing in a room filled with large pieces of odd machinery that buzzed with energy. Dwergi stopped what they were doing, holding various parts of equipment in their short arms. A figure on the bridge above whirled around. But Chesshika's eyes and attention was on a pod above everything, supported by a moving rod. A bolt of lightning hit a conductor, went through the pod, and a great burst of power spiraled down the rod and through the machinery. A yell drifted down from the pod. Velkan was up there.  
She pried her eyes off the pod, recognizing that she needed a way to get up there, to him. Her eyes skimmed the large room, from the motionless Dwergi who had dropped what they were carrying to the figure on the bridge...  
...that wasn't there anymore. Her senses screamed in alarm, and before she could move, a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. She was bodily spun around, and was staring face-to-face with Dracula, scant inches away from his face. "So nice of you to come by and see him in his last moments, lovelie. He would be touched. But seeing as though as he can't welcome you, I think that honor falls to me." He let go of her shoulder and stepped back, throwing his arms wide, gesturing to the room. "Welcome, my dear, to Castle Frankenstein." He stepped forward again, and pointed up. "May I direct your gaze to my latest accomplishment? Taken over from the late Dr. Frankenstein, the power source needed to bring the dead back to life. And well, that's Velkan inside it at the moment." Chesshika eyed him, and did what was natural. She drew a fist back and punched him in the face.  
"Now, I know that didn't hurt you," she drawled, "But I hope it made you mad. Because I'm really mad right now. In fact, I would wager a bet that I'm more pissed off then you are for me hitting you." Dracula was still doubled over. "Pity you can't get a nosebleed," Chesshika said. "That would be interesting."  
While the vampire was distracted, Chesshika ran for the nearest bridge, climbing the ladder up to it. Once on the bridge, she grabbed onto a chain close by that ran up to the ceiling. Kicking it free of its anchor, she held on tight as it whizzed upward, toward the roof.  
  
Dracula straightened below. The broken cartilage in his nose reformed, healing his nose in an eye-blink. That damn girl had broken his nose. That really made him mad. He could have fun killing her, then turning her. Shedding his human form, he grew wings and turned into a giant bat-like monster, flying upward.  
Suddenly, a great boom of thunder shook the ground, and a gigantic bolt of lightning coursed through the entire room of equipment. It coursed through wires leading out the door. Dracula stopped in mid-wing beat, and dropped back to the ground, turning back into a man as he fell. He hit the ground, and ran toward a door. Two woman dropped from nowhere and joined him. Chesshika watched. 'Aleera,' she thought. 'And Verona. What in the name of God is going on?'  
  
Down in the nursery, Van Helsing and Anna looked up as the sacs began to wiggle furiously. The small vampire baby that Van Helsing had just torn out of its sac snapped to life. He let go of it reflexively, and it joined the thousands of others flying through the room. A door burst open above. Dracula and his brides appeared above them, rapturously happy. "Go! Feed them! Prey on the villagers! And pray to the Devil that they live!" The two women changed shape rapidly, into giant white bats with a shape and face of a woman. They flew off, and the small vampires followed them. "Go my children!" Dracula shouted. Van Helsing raised his crossbow and took aim. A small vampire fell, crossbow shot in its body. Dracula looked down in fury. "Now that I have your attention..." Van Helsing started, "May I do what I came here to do?" Dracula screamed and dropped down at them, turning into a bat again as he fell. Anna shot to the side, and ran up the stairs to the room above. The laboratory...where Velkan was. All thoughts of Van Helsing or Chesshika escaped her mind.  
  
Chesshika jumped off the chain onto the rooftop, and watched as the chain fell down the other side of the pulley, straight to the floor. It hit with a clanging resonance, and she turned away, toward the pod. Lightning flashed around her, but she was oblivious to it.  
  
Below her, Anna fought off Dwergi as she climbed up a rope to the pod above her. Dwergi clung to the rope above and below her, and she took her saber out of its hilt, thrusting at the Dwergi. They dropped to the floor, into vats of a hissing liquid. She continued climbing.  
  
Above Anna, Chesshika was in trouble. A group of Dwergi had gathered on the roof, between her and Velkan. She searched her body for a weapon, but in her haste to get to the castle, she realized she had forgotten to pack any. All she had was her dagger, and that wasn't going to do much against a group of ten Dwergi. She stood her ground as they advance, chattering at her. "Velkan..." she screamed above the noise.  
  
Through his pain, Velkan heard her. Chessh. That was Chessh's voice. What was she doing here? He must be dead, imaging her voice now, at the castle...  
  
Chesshika heard a short yell from behind her, and turned her head slightly. A flash of black caught her eye as it hurtled through the air toward her. She grabbed the bullwhip out of the air as it was thrown to her. Unfurling it, she cracked it expertly, then swung it around in front of her in an arc. It hissed through the air, creating a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh sound. She couldn't have asked for a better weapon. Its twelve-foot range would keep anything out of her way. The Dwergi backed up slowly, keeping their glittering eyes on the black leather lash. She reached out, and using the whip as an extension of her arm, wrapped it around a Dwerger's neck and pulled it forward. It's neck snapped, and she flung it off the side of the castle roof. Flicking the whip gently, it uncurled from around the creature's neck. She brought it back forward, and lashed out with it, letting it bite deep into the skin of the Dwergi in front of her. If used correctly, a whip can be as sharp and deadly as a sword, and Chesshika hadn't trained with it for years for nothing. The remaining Dwergi fled, some holding stubs of arms that were severed and cuts on their body. She drew the bullwhip back to her body, wrapping it around its self and tucking it into her belt. She looked toward the pod, and saw Anna there, cutting Velkan out of his bonds. Chesshika started forward at a run toward them. Another roll of thunder shook the castle, and made the shingles at Chesshika's feet jump. She lost her footing, and skidded off the side of the roof, into the black oblivion below. "NOOOO!" she screamed, but a roll of thunder swallowed her cry as she dropped. She plummeted straight down, the blackness of the night enveloping her as she fell farther and farther. 'Is it a river? An abyss? Oh, my God, it's going to be like how it was for Velkan falling. Except not with a werewolf. Velkan...I'll never know if he lives. And what will happen to everyone...I'll be dead. What's down there? What am I falling into?' Falling silently, she made no sound. She would not allow herself to scream. 'God damn it, I'm going to die with bravery. No one will ever know, but at least I will.' Her coat spread out behind her, dragging in the air as it rushed past her, slowing her speed of drop. She streamlined her lower body, pulling one leg up slightly so that her foot rested on her other calf. It would absorb some of the shock of impact, if she lived. She raised her arms above her head, reaching out carefully to grab onto anything that passed by her as she fell. Through the fog, she saw something looming out beneath her. Treetops. She was falling straight into a forest top. Her cloak billowed out once more, grabbing a stray gust of wind. 'It slows my descent...drag rate is increased...' she though suddenly. She quickly looked down and closed her eyes. 'Oh God, I'm sorry for everything,' she thought. 'If I die now, I am so sorry for all the trouble I have caused, and all the fear I have created.' She crashed through the treetops. Her raised arms grabbed a tree branch, and her body snapped in whiplash at the impact, up and down quickly. She gritted her teeth, and kept her hold on the branch, wrapping both arms around it. Once she stopped moving, she gently swung her body backwards, causing her body to then swing forward. With great focus and control, Chesshika used her body as a giant pendulum, swinging her lower body closer and closer to the tree branch she was hanging from. Finally, she had enough swing that she was able to wrap her legs around the branch too. She hung upside down for a minute, catching her breath. 'You know, I almost wish I was a vampire now,' she thought wryly. 'I could physically hang here with no strain.' She grunted in pain as her muscles protested. 'Unlike what I feel now.' Carefully, she started to move herself up to the top of the branch, working her body around the side of the branch methodically. Once she was laying secure on top, arms and legs still wrapped in a death-grip, she fell asleep from exhaustion. 


	3. Translyvanian Angel, Chapter Three:

Chapter 3:  
  
Carl was astounded. Vaseria was being attacked by hordes of tiny vampires. And he had no idea how to kill them. No book had taught him how to deal with this. The barmaid next to him shuddered. "What are they?" she asked in loathing. "I actually think they are Dracula's offspring...little vampires," Carl answered. It had the opposite affect on the barmaid then what he had hoped. She panicked instead of calming down. To Carl, if something was written down in a book, you could deal with it. Ok, so vampires were written about. He knew how to deal with vampires. However, thousands of tiny ones weren't written about. Maybe the barmaid was on to something. He panicked too. He dragged the woman after him, out into the street and down it, trying to flee. She screamed, and he looked back. She was being dragged away by a tiny vampire. He grabbed her hand, and yanked her back down. The vampire let go, a look of confusion on its ugly face. Suddenly, it exploded.  
Carl stared in shock at the rivers of messy green vampire bits on the ground in front of him. Looking up, he realized that all the vampires were doing the same thing. En masse, they exploded, a green rainstorm of slime.  
  
Back at Castle Frankenstein, Van Helsing and Dracula circled each other. "Hello, Gabriel. It's nice to see you again." Dracula said pleasantly. Van Helsing took no notice. Instead, his gaze was on the wooden stake he had implanted in the vampire's chest. However, the vampire had not died. "Well, then," Dracula said, calmly ripping the stake out of his chest. Van Helsing watched as the hole closed quickly, repairing the wound, as though it had never happened. "So quickly you forget, Gabriel. I expected more, with all your training from Tibetan monks to mullahs from Istanbul, and you do that? You don't remember, do you?" Van Helsing backed around his adversary warily. "And what exactly should I be remembering?"  
"You forgot who I am? Let me introduce myself, then. Count Vladislaus Dragulia. Born 1432, murdered 1462." Suddenly, Dracula opened his mouth, fangs lengthening, jaw stretching out and down. Van Helsing stood firm, aware that he had no weapon that could kill Dracula. He waited.  
Suddenly, piercing wails cut the air. They came from the direction of Vaseria, and both Van Helsing and Dracula turned toward them. With Dracula distracted, Van Helsing grabbed the dumbwaiter behind him, and cut the rope. As he moved up, he looked down, and saw Dracula watching him.  
  
Anna was almost through cutting Velkan's restraints in the pod. He kept pushing her away, but she would be damned if she left him here to die. He gripped her face, and she looked down at his hand, watching it change, growing nails and hair. Looking up at her brother, she watched him change into a werewolf. She shot a look up at the sky. Not a cloud in sight, and a full moon reigned supreme. Anna backed away, and a clock started to chime. It was midnight. The curse would not be broken.  
Suddenly, someone was behind her. She whirled around. It was Van Helsing. "Time to go. We've over-stayed our welcome." He held a pistol out, and pulled the trigger. A thin grappling hook shot out across the chasm, and into a tall pine in the forest across it. Van Helsing tied his end off, and Anna looked across at her brother, who infinitely stronger in werewolf form, was snapping off the remaining restraints quickly.  
Van Helsing picked her up, and Velkan burst out of the pod. Suddenly, they were swinging across the chasm on the thin wire. Anna took one last look behind at the beast that used to be her brother, and saw him cut the wire.  
They were falling. No, they were swinging. Across the chasm, and straight into the forest. They jumped to the ground, rolling on impact. "Are you hurt?" Van Helsing asked her. Anna shook her head. From the other side, she could see the shape of the werewolf climbing down the side of the castle wall. "Let's go," she said, already headed for Vaseria. "We need to get back to the village."  
As they walked, something tickled at the back of her mind. Anna stopped short. "Chesshika! We left her behind!" Van Helsing looked over at her, and continued walking. "She'll be fine."  
"She'll be fine, what do you mean, 'she'll be fine '?! In there, with him? With THEM?"  
"She can take care of herself. She was fine when we came in, she'll be fine now. Where ever she is. Besides, she'll learn more about herself. You know, bonding of the oddities?"  
Still doubtful, Anna walked on. Where ever she is...the last she had seen Chesshika she was on the roof, fighting the Dwergi with the bullwhip Anna had tossed her. After that...Anna couldn't remember. But that didn't make sense. Chesshika wouldn't leave Velkan. She would have been right beside Anna, freeing him. It didn't matter to her that Velkan was a werewolf, she had just wanted to save him. And if they had both been there, he would have been out before midnight's bell had chimed. It didn't make any sense. Anna shrugged. In all the confusion, the lightning so close by, the thunder shaking the castle, it was easy to be distracted.  
Anna's jaw dropped suddenly. That one roll of thunder so close it had shook the entire castle, raising it up from its foundation to the roof...Chesshika had gone missing after that. If she had gone over the side...Anna shook her head. No, that couldn't have happened. Chesshika had probably fled the castle when she realized that they had all broken up. That was it. She'd find her way back to the Vaseria and the manor. Van Helsing was right, Chesshika could take care of herself.  
  
Dracula looked out a tower window over the courtyard. He had failed again. It was the second time his children had been brought to life, only to die. Why was this happening? He angrily paced the floor. Aleera and Verona held back, sobbing together. Maybe he needed a new, stronger bride. Maybe he needed a new energy force, something made for the task. He gritted his teeth. He had had both. A year ago, he had had Frankenstein's monster. The perfect thing for the task. Specially made. But then everything went wrong. The same night it was brought to life, the villagers had attacked the castle. It had fled, taking Dr. Frankenstein's body with it, to the windmill. Where the villagers had burned it to the ground.  
Dracula spun, slamming his fist into the stone wall. Both his brides jumped, and whimpered. He ignored them. Then there was the second loss. She had been here tonight. Chesshika, the young woman from the village, the special one. She had been here, had stood right in front of him, and had slipped through his grasp. 'It was just a matter of time,' he reasoned. 'Sooner or later, I'll find her. And when I do, I'll bring her back here. And she will finally be mine.'  
He looked out the window again, lost in fantasy. Thoughts of the fall of the Valerious family, the destruction of Velkan, the murder of Anna, and the capture of the little pale angel floated through his mind.  
A small movement down in the courtyard brought his attention back. A horse was standing at the edge of the courtyard, hidden in shadow. He recognized that horse. It was the one that the girl owned. She was here, somewhere. Quickly, he changed shape into his bat form, and flew rapidly up through the ceiling, leaving his brides to their startled exclamations. He had something more important to find.  
  
Soaring above the treetops of the forest below, Dracula was acutely aware of everything beneath him. He searched for the tell-tale heartbeat of a large creature, and the faint outline of a girl.  
He finally found her hanging on a tree branch, near the edge of the forest below the castle. She pulsed a red outline with her healthy blood moving inside her, and Dracula was instantly attracted to her. He landed gently on the branch beside her, prying her hands off the branch. In her deep sleep of exhaustion, she didn't wake. He carefully picked her up into his arms, and took off again, wings flapping powerfully. He was bringing her back to the castle. With luck, he had a new bride. He smiled. She would be delicious.  
  
Chesshika could feel her powerful wings beating as they carried her high above the Carpathian Mountains. Air rushed past her, and arms held her fast. She turned to look behind her. It was her lord. Flexing her wings harder, she pulled in front of him. "Yes," he whispered. "Go, fly, little one! Feel the power of the gift I have given you!" Chesshika ran her tongue over her sharp fangs, even now on both sides of her mouth. With the change, she had grown into her own body. No longer a freak or abomination, she now ruled over the villagers who had once made her life miserable. No longer was she a scapegoat, she was now a force to be reckoned with. She was one of the nosferatu, one of the undead. She was a vampire, and a powerful one at that. The affections of the Count had many bonuses, on of them being this new body, made to fly. It was a pleasure to fly.  
  
Chesshika smiled in her sleep. The feel of air on her skin made her rapture in her dream. She flexed her arms, stretching them out wide. No, her wings. No, they were her arms. She grew confused. 'What am I doing?' she thought.  
Her eyes opened slowly. Yes, she was flying. She relaxed. Wait! She was WHATING? Chesshika looked down at the passing treetops below her, the castle rapidly coming into view in front of her. Then she looked in surprise at the giant bat-man carrying her. Dracula. "AHHHHHHH!"  
  
Dracula reveled in her shock, looking down at the girl in his arms. "Up so soon?" he asked. "I thought you were going to sleep the entire way back. That would have been no fun." Chesshika reached out, swiping at his face. He dodged to avoid her hand, and was momentarily caught off-balance in the air. Chesshika slipped forward, almost falling out of his grasp. He righted himself at the last moment, catching her up again. "Don't do that," he hissed in anger. "I almost dropped you. And I'm not yet sure if you're worth the effort to catch once you fall."  
Chesshika knew she had to play her last card. She glared, and did what she thought was her last chance. Reaching to her throat, she pulled down the neck of her black tunic, exposing the front of her neck, and the red mark that had caused her so much trouble throughout her life. She knew she was taking a risk, but it was soon apparent it was the right one. Dracula stared at her neck, transfixed. "Yes," he whispered silkily. "Yes, you would be worth it."  
'But do I want to be worth it?' Chesshika thought, contemplating throwing herself out of this arms and going for a second fall. She thought of Velkan, not sure if he was alive, not sure if he had survived midnight and had taken the antidote. Not sure if he was human again. But she was sure of one thing. 'I need to find him. And he'll be at the castle, if he didn't escape the change. It would be worth the chance to find him again. And if not, well, will I really ever miss the village?'  
  
Dracula landed back in the courtyard outside, turning back into a man before he was even on the ground. Chesshika gracefully hooked a leg around his elbow, popping it out of its joint, effectively forcing him to release her. "Oh, so sorry," she purred once on the ground on her own two feet, giving him an innocent look while he cursed. Taking only a second, he popped it back into place, and swatted at her. She danced nimbly out of the way, faster then his hand fell. "You," he stated, "Are going to be in dire need of some lessons in manners." Before she could jump out of the way again, he disappeared, reappearing behind her. He grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to kneel. "What do you say?" he asked gently, reinforcing his anger with the pressure from his hand on her neck. Chesshika spat squarely in his eye. He viciously twisted her neck to the side, and she cried out. "You say..." he prompted again. "Yes...my...lo-" she gritted out from between her teeth. He started to release his grip, and she finished her sentence quickly. "...son of a bitch." He slammed a finger deep into her pressure point in retort, and knelt down behind her. "That was very nice," he whispered in her ear. "Try again." Another twist. A yelp came from her as he bent her head back. "Not yet," he whispered dangerously. She remained silent, teeth clenched tightly in defiance. He slammed his thumb deep into the side of her neck, and wrenched it to the side. Her eyes swam with tears and stars exploded in front of her eyes. "Yes, my lord!" she gasped out. Instantly, he took his hands off her, and she fell to the ground, gasping. "Better. You need more time, but better. You'll do. Now up. Get your horse into the stable, and yourself into the castle. And I swear on Lucifer's head, one move away, and I WILL kill you." Chesshika stumbled to her feet, swaying in pain. Dracula looked at her appraisingly. "Do you know, I've had grown soldiers begging for mercy long before you even started to whimper? Your pain tolerance is very high. Interesting. Very interesting, my dear." Chesshika straightened her back, and looked him square in the eye. Turning, she moved to her horse, and led him through the doors of the nearby stable. She disappeared for a second, then came back out, without the horse. "Ready?" Dracula asked civilly. Chesshika nodded curtly, and he swung an arm behind her back. "In that case, come this way." Dracula led her down an amazing twist of hallway mazes. She tried to keep track, but lost it after the first three turns left, hidden door, and random staircases. He stopped at the doorway of a large hall. It was obviously a grand reception hall long ago, but now it was covered from floor to ceiling with sacs that oozed mucus. He led her into the hall, and through it. He gestured at a nearby sac. "My un-living children," he said simply. Chesshika suddenly realized what he had been using all the machinery for, the lightning, Velkan. He was trying to bring the thousands of little vampires to life. The room spun, and she gasped. If that happened...she didn't want to think about what would happen. Dracula mistook her gasp of horror for a gasp of awe. "Yes, you too shall bear me many beautiful children, such as these." Chesshika couldn't help making a face as she inwardly gagged. Somehow, showing revulsion to a vampire didn't seem like such a good idea on as touchy a subject as offspring. Instead, she settled on a well thought comment: "Oh, disgusting." Dracula looked at her, furious. "You DARE insult my children?!" he roared, ferociously. While Chesshika watched, his fangs grew longer and more pointed, and his jaw dropped, making room to accommodate the new teeth length. Fully vamped out, he growled at her, stepping forward to her. For the first time in her life, something older then custom or teaching took control. Her eyes narrowed, forming slits and flashing in rage. Was he threatening her?! Her?! The canines on the left side of her mouth, always cumbersome in her mouth, seemed to be ready to burst out of the bottom of her lip. Opening her mouth, they pointed down dangerously, growing exactly as Dracula's had. However, it was only her left canines. She hissed at him, leaning forward as he advanced. Dracula stopped, and he and Chesshika eyed each other. Locked in a stalemate, Chesshika knew it was time to say something. "Well?" she spat at him. "You started it. Let's finish it."  
Dracula held his ground. He suddenly smiled charmingly, and in an eye- blink was a (seemingly,) normal handsome man again. "Bravo," he said, bowing with flourish to Chesshika, who still stood on guard. "So you are a little different, aren't you?" Chesshika relaxed, her teeth shrinking back to normal. She realized she had done a semi- version of vamping out, and steadied herself. "Define 'normal'," she asked. "You are...a half-breed." "I don't know. That was the first time that has ever happened. You tell me. There aren't any mirrors in here, and on a hunch I'd say that even if there had been, I wouldn't have been able to see myself once I changed. Correct?" "Very much so. You are intelligent, that is obvious. You know much of our race." "Your race.' "My lovely darling, after that brilliant display, I think we can at least safely say that you are showing tendencies in that direction as well." "Against my will or better judgement." "Well, yes. But everyone must live with the parts of themselves they don't particularly like or want, no?" Chesshika took advantage of the Count's distraction, and dropped to the ground, rolling under the hanging sacs and across the floor. A safe distance away, she carefully rose into a crouch, waiting. "Aha. Are we playing cat-and-mouse now, Chesshika? Are you going to make me hunt you out and find you?" She remained silent, backing away quietly. Not knowing how large the room was, she dropped to the floor, laying flat on it, looking across the floor. It was a large room, definitely a good size to stay away from Dracula for at least a short period of time. She skimmed the ground for feet, and saw none. He must have taken to the air. An idea hit her. Scuttling under a hanging sac, Chesshika lay in wait. From any vantage point other then laying on the floor, as she had, he couldn't see her now. Hidden under the sac, she knew her outline and the essence of her blood wasn't able to be seen. She chuckled quietly to herself. Who was the clever one now? She could feel the building tension of Dracula's anger as he coolly and methodically searched for her in the big hall. From the ceiling to the spaces between the sacs, she heard and felt the air rushing from his wing- beats. Sooner or later, he was going to have to land, and search by foot. Then, it would be up to her to think up a new move. "I grow tired of this game, little one. Come out...or shall I find you?" He was purposely trying to make her answer him, wanted her to feel an emotion that he could hone in on, be it fear or anger. Chesshika breathed steadily, willing her heart to stay steady, and her feelings to remain neutral and calm. The sound of something landing on the stone floor snapped her to attention. She risked a quick peak out from under the sac. Dracula had landed a few yards away, in his human form. She watched as he stood still and silent for a few minutes. Slowly, his feet turned, and started for her direction. Chesshika shrunk back under the sac. "I can feel you, angel. You're somewhere close by...actually...you are...right..." "...Here." Dracula lifted the sac, and looked down, straight at gray stones. Confused, he stared at it for a second. She had been right there. He had heard her heartbeat. Where could she have gone? He hadn't heard the tell- tale thumps move. He stood absolutely silent for a minute, trying to get a bearing on her. Her heartbeat, her breathing, her emotions, it didn't matter. Hanging right above him, suspended in the air upside-down, her bullwhip's lash wrapped around an overhead sac, Chesshika smiled. She had him right where she wanted him. 'Since the hunter becomes the hunted...I should be moving now...stay right here...good boy.' Slowly, she uncurled her legs from around the whip, dropping them silently. She climbed up the lash, onto the sac. It shifted slightly, but that was the only sign. She unwrapped her whip from around it, and wrapped it around the next hanging sac higher up. Smiling grimly, Chesshika went about her slow progress upward. Dracula had never felt this strange feeling before. It wasn't anger, and it wasn't loss. It was akin to...fear, something he hadn't felt in over four centuries. Where could she have gone? She couldn't have just disappeared. She was here somewhere, watching him. The thought would have made his skin crawl if he still had feelings. He hadn't been in this juxtaposed hunting position in all the time he had been un-dead. Now was not a time he wanted to start. So if she wasn't down, wasn't up...look in-between. Dracula slowly made his way down the paths through the sacs, keeping his keen eyes trailed at the mid-way point between the ceiling and floor. A slight movement caught his eye. The space in-between the sacs wasn't enough to accommodate wings, so he disappeared. Re-appearing on the swinging sac, he looked straight at Chesshika's booted foot that was slowly rising up, following her body as she climbed. He grabbed her leg, and yanked down on it, hard. Chesshika screamed, loosing her hold on her bullwhip, and falling back down onto the sac below, directly across from a grinning Dracula. "Surprise." Chesshika shouted, and lunged up, wrapping her hands around her whip, and yanking her body up fast, out of Dracula's grip. She wiggled up it, to the next sac. Reaching a hand up, someone pulled her up onto the sac. Gasping for breath, she looked up at Dracula again. Grimly, she yanked back on the whip, and it unraveled from around the sac, pulling off. Still holding onto the whip, she fell. As she fell, she cracked out with the whip, catching a sac. Abruptly, she was pulled out of her fall, swinging around the sac. Looking down, she saw the ground twelve feet below her. Gathering her whip back up, she tucked it loosely in her belt, and jumped. She hit the ground hard, rolling forward. Coming out of a roll, she un- tucked and sprang up, already running. At the end of the hall, she saw a door. Was she faster then Dracula? She increased her speed, sprinting to the end of the hall. She blinked, and crashed into something. The power of her hit sent her tumbling backwards, and she flipped over. Hitting the ground, she knocked her breath out of her lungs. Her breath re-entered her lungs in short rasps that split her sides like a knife blade. The vampire looked down at her, radiating rage and...disbelief? "Do you know," he drawled slowly in his heavy Romanian accent of royalty, "That you just did something very interesting?" "Wha...at?" A short intake of air, and a wheeze exited Chesshika's mouth along with the words. "You don't realize that during our little...escapade, your heart stopped beating, do you?" "What?!" Her hand flew up to her chest, searching for movement underneath her skin. No heartbeat. Both Chesshika and Dracula stared at her chest for a moment. "Do you know what you are?" "Uhhhh..." Chesshika's eyes fluttered, and the world sunk into a blackness. Dracula managed to disappear and reappear behind her, catching her just before she hit the ground. "Times like this is when that ability makes everything worth it," he said to her unconscious figure. He picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder. "Too light. Haven't been eating much, have you? We can change that..." Dracula chuckled quietly, carrying her out of the hall.  
  
She knew it was dangerous going outside that late at night, but it was Velkan's idea. It was almost always his idea to sneak away, to be alone together. He had always been like that. His daring was infectious that night as he took her hand and dragged her after him through the village, ignoring the looks from the villagers as they passed, his arm around her waist, leaning in toward her, kissing her without a care in the world. It was the attitude of a man who knew he was going to be a boyar, the attitude of someone who knew that his people could say nothing about it to him. He had suggested the cemetery on a whim. She had been hesitant, knowing that with Dracula after her, it wasn't the wisest choice. But Velkan had begged her, and she never could refuse him. Her heart was light that night, with the feeling of love for him, and the promise of mischief that night. They danced through the town's square together, waltzing, as Velkan hummed a tune regularly broken by laughter from both of them. They stopped by a bar for a quick drink, joining in with the rowdy songs of the drunkards. She loved to watch him move about the people, changing faces and attitudes with every individual. He was going to be a fantastic lord, she could tell already. As soon as people shied away from her, he brought them back, bringing her closer to him at the same time, making them feel the ease with her that he did. The elders in the corners shot them looks and whispered amongst themselves. Velkan noticed, his eyebrows furrowing. "Anya, Flourescue, what is so intriguing? Share it with the rest of us." The undertaker and village gossip gave each other a look that read of apprehension. The oily undertaker slid forward, taking off his old and battered top hat in respect of his young lord. "Well, you see, my lord...we were wondering at your, ah, choice in companions." Flourescue gave Chesshika a side-ways look out the corner of his eye, and she shuddered. She had gotten used to the looks and ritual crossing of chests when she passed, but the undertaker still gave her goosebumps with his. Velkan's eyes flashed with anger. "That is for me to decide, undertaker. As for my choice, why should such charming a girl be such an odd choice?" The undertaker looked down, realizing he had hit a nerve. "I'm sorry, my lord. We just wish you would consider your...judgements more deeply." Velkan clenched his teeth, and stormed out of the bar, bringing her with him. He swore for the next few hundred feet, gesturing to the air in front of him. Chesshika trotted to his side, and laid a small hand on his arm. He turned, and hugged her to his side. "Sorry, darling. That must be harder for you then it is for me." Chesshika shrugged. "I've grown used to it." They continued to the cemetery in silence, a moody yet calming one. Once alone, and out of the common street and bustle in the graveyard, Velkan came alive again with his usual spark. Seated on a long stone casket beside her, his eyes danced with mischief and happiness, and he reached out and pulled her down on his lap. She laughed, tipping her head back, hair falling free. Velkan watched her with a quiet look in his eyes, and she stopped laughing. "Hmmm?" she asked him, and he smiled slowly. "I love your laugh." He leaned forward, pressing his lips to the small red mark on her throat that gained her so much despise. She relaxed, then a voice drifting through a window nearby caught her attention, and she drew back. "Velkan, be careful. What would they think if they saw us together?" "I don't care! They can think whatever they want!" "Velkan! Think of your family! You can't just be around someone like me...especially not me. They hate me. If they knew...you would be in trouble because of me. You saw what they thought of me tonight!" "I don't care, Chesshika! I love you. Chessh, do you think I give a damn what they think of us? I love you, and you love me, and that's all that matters." "Velkan, stop being such an idiot! Look around you!" "I am looking around me Chessh, and all I see is you. Everywhere I go, I see you, think of you, taste you, breathe you." Velkan knelt before her. "Oh God, Velkan, no," Chesshika pleaded with him. "Yes, Chesshika, yes. It's the right thing. It's the only thing. Chessh, will you marry me?" "Velkan..." "Will you, Chessh?" "Yes, yes, I'll marry you, of course. " Velkan picked her up and swung her around, laughing. A few nearby villagers looked up at them. "I'm marrying her!" Velkan shouted happily. "Velkan, shhh!" Chesshika pressed a finger to his lips. "Not yet." "But I want to tell everyone!" "Later, in another place. It's not safe now." Velkan nodded, serious. "Good," Chessh nodded, and Velkan sat her back down, standing in front of her as she stared into space. Nimble fingers at her shirt laces caught her attention. She slapped his hand away. "Not here, Velkan. What if someone saw us?" "I don't care." "You may not, I do!"  
  
Velkan gave her a look, and Chesshika returned it. "You aren't very romantic. I just proposed to you," he pouted. She laughed. "Later." "Promise?" "Of course." "Mmmmm..." he rumbled, burying his face in her hair and breathing in. She picked his face up in both hands, and kissed him gently on the nose. He made a face, and tilted his head up, bringing his mouth to hers. They kissed, and he ran his tongue over her large canines. "Careful," she whispered in warning. "They're sharp." "I know." "Then be careful." "There's too little time to be careful, Chessh." "And you're in far too much of a hurry." "Guilty," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "You're up to something." "As always." "Tell me." "Maybe, we won't go back to the manor tonight." "Oh?" "Yes." "And where exactly would we go instead?" "We could stay at the inn." "That would raise some eyebrows." "And it would settle mine." "You always have 'raised eyebrows'." "Well...you're always with me." "Maybe, then, you should go back to the manor tonight, I should go to my...house, and to our separate rooms. That way, you can get a good night's sleep, and realize what an idiot you were tonight in the morning." "You're the one who would need the good night's sleep." "And I wouldn't find that with you, would I?" "Well, a different variation of 'good'." Chesshika laughed, nodding. "You take far too much advantage of me." Velkan grinned. "But it's good advantage, no?"  
  
They hadn't spent that night in the inn; they had gone to the manor, and to Velkan's room. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wasn't the last. Velkan grew more mature with time, learning to control himself and do what was expected of him, and Chesshika grew more open and assertive. Age does funny things to you, and the young teen Chesshika had agreed to marry turned into a man, and a prince. She was there the day that she witnessed him turning into a man; she would never forget it as long as she lived.  
  
Velkan sat at his father's desk in the tower room, ripping open letter after letter, skimming them with eyes that didn't quite hide his emotions yet. With each letter he dropped on the desk after reading it, his face grew more frantic. Reaching the last letter, he paused, almost fearful of opening it. After a minute, he finally did, slowly inserting his knife under the seal, and breaking it. He read this last one slowly, and by the end of it, he was shaking his head silently. The letter tumbled from his fingers, and he dropped his head into his hands, crumbling over the desk. Chesshika stood from the seat under the big bay windows, and walked over behind him, draping her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Yes?" she asked quietly. Velkan dropped a hand, and picked up the letter, handing it back to her. She read it silently.  
  
Dear Lord Velkan, It seems as if your father, Boyar Valerious, has not reached us yet. His carriage never arrived, so we assumed he was not traveling to us after all. Please send him our regards, and tell him we hope to hear from him soon.  
  
God be with you,  
Father Radu,  
Of Voronets Monastery  
Moldavia, Translyvania.  
  
Chesshika refolded the letter, replacing it on the desk. "Velkan..." she started, but he broke her off. "All of them, all the places I sent letters, asking if he had arrived, said he had never shown. He's dead, Chesshika, dead. He needed to go to the monastery the most; he said there might be clues how to defeat Dracula there. Now it looks as though I will be the one needing to travel. My father, King of the Gypsies, Boyar Boris Valerious, he's finally been killed. There's two of us left, Chesshika. Do you realize that? Two. I'm the last remaining son of the Valerious. Oh God, I never thought I would have to take over the title of boyar from my father until he was an old man." Velkan's shoulder's shook, and Chesshika turned him around gently, hugging him as he held in his tears. "Shhh...go ahead. It's just me. You can cry." Velkan shook his head fiercely, blinking rapidly. "No, I have to tell Anna, tell them...so much to do...I'm not ready." Chesshika shook her head. "Velkan, look at me. You are ready. You've been ready since the day he left. You knew that this might happen. Now you have to face it. Take a minute, tell your sister, then make the announcement to the town." She unfolded herself from his arms and stood up. "I'll be in our room." She turned around, but Velkan reached out and stopped her. "No. I need you there." He looked up to her face. "I can't do this alone, Chessh. God help me, I can't do this alone. Please." His eyes pleaded with hers, inner turmoil making him appear as fragile and scared as a young boy. She felt herself falling even more in love with him as he unknowingly bared his soul to her through his unguarded eyes, so full of emotions. "Of course I'll go with you." He stood on the side of the well, feet planted wide and stable, appearing as steady as an old pine in the forest, or a castle hewn out of the rocks. Inside, she knew he was trembling. Reaching behind himself, he stretched out a hand to her where she stood behind him. She took his hand and squeezed it, willing some of her strength to comfort him. He squeezed back, thanking her. "People of Vaseria, it is with great sorrow that I announce my father, King Boris Valerious, Boyar of Translyvania, has passed away. In his place...in his place, I take his crown, being his eldest born and only son..."  
  
He had slipped into a life of duty easily. Only behind closed doors did his anger, frustrations and fears come out, late at night, when only Chesshika was there to witness them. 'He's only mortal...he's only twenty-one, for Christ's sake. He shouldn't have to be dealing with this; he shouldn't have to be ruling an entire country and people by himself...but he is. You can't bring the dead back to life, Chesshika, no matter how much you wish you could.' She repeated this to herself, night after night, as she watched him fall apart on the inside. He was fighting a centuries old war that it seemed impossible to win, and only his sister stood beside him for the rest of his family. Time was running out, and he knew it.  
  
Chesshika woke with a start, bolting upright in bed. She caught her breath and held it, straining to hear what had waken her. Velkan sat up next to her, rubbing his eyes. "What is it, Chessh?" Almost like a thermometer for trouble, Chesshika had shown an almost uncanny aptitude for waking in the night right before disaster fell upon the household or town. Another yell caught her attention, and they both got up and walked over to the window. Standing side by side, they looked out over the seething mass of villagers bearing torches, pitchforks, clubs and machetes. "What in the name of God?" Velkan asked in disbelief. The gathered villagers looked up, and saw them standing. One pointed, and an uproar of yells thundered through the window. "There she is!" "Bring her out!" "Death to the vampire!" "She's naught but evilness and misfortune!" The crowd parted, and a stretcher was passed through the mob, bearing a dead body on it. It seemed to shimmer in the torchlight, and as it got closer, they could see what the body was smeared with. In the person's own blood, large letters read out: 'CHESSHIKA'. A shout went up from the crowd again, and Chesshika turned away from the scene, feeling sick. "I don't believe it..." Velkan said, stepping back from the window and walking over to a table, picking up his revolver and sticking it in the waistband of his pants. He strode from the room, shirtless and with no shoes. Chesshika walked after him, in her loose pants and old shirt that she slept in. From the armory, she could hear his voice drifting out. "How many times do I need to tell them? Why can't they just leave her alone? It's not like she can do anything about it..."  
Chesshika followed him into the room, surprised to see Anna standing in there in her pajamas also. Velkan picked up a saber from a display, not bothering with a scabbard for it. Anna nodded in Chesshika's direction, and he looked up. "Chessh, stay here," Velkan said, heading toward the grand doors that led out to the front of the manor, and the villagers. He stopped when he saw her following him. "Chesshika! STAY HERE!" He used his boyar voice, a tone that commanded instant obedience, one thing he had never done to her before. She stopped, staring at her. He stared back, every inch of him screaming "obey me!" as never before.  
"No."  
"What did you say?"  
"No. I said no. I'm coming too."  
"They'll kill you. You go out there, and they'll kill you."  
"Better to be dead then to be thought of as a guilty coward or monster," she shot back at him, eyes blazing.  
"Tell you what, I'll extend your message to them. You stay here."  
"No."  
"Chesshika. This is no time to be stubborn. This is not a game. We have a very angry mob outside, and a dead person with your name written in their blood on their corpse. This is not something for you to be a part of."  
"My name's all over the victim, and I have no part in this?!"  
"CHESSHIKA! FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! YOU'RE STAYING INSIDE, WHERE YOU'LL BE SAFE, AND THAT'S THE END OF THIS!" Velkan yelled at her. He was scared, she knew it. She had never seen him afraid before, and it set her on edge.  
"I'M BLOODY NOT!"  
Velkan took a deep breath, and walked over to her, kneeling in front of her, taking her hands and resting his head on them. "Chesshika, that's the problem. You go out there, and you will be bloody. If they see you, I don't know if I could control them. Boyar or not, one of theirs is dead, and they're blaming you. I'm begging you, as your future husband and protector, stay inside." He stood back up again, drawing away. "And I'm telling you that as your boyar."  
Chesshika felt sick to her stomach, and looked away. He was pulling his rank on her, and she knew he hated it as much as she did. "Go," she whispered, turning away and walking back to the door. She heard him sigh heavily behind her, and Anna let out a breath she was holding. She heard his footsteps, and the door opened, briefly letting in the noise of the crowd. The door shut, and Chesshika looked back. Anna had gone out, as well.  
Anger flared in her, and she raced up the stairs to her and Velkan's room. She stood at the window, looking down on the scene as it unfolded below her, bathed in torchlight. Velkan paced on the top of the stairs in front of the doors, Anna standing silently behind him, arms crossed. "What have you to say to this?!" a man screamed at him. "We've tolerated her here too long, and now see what has happened!" The crowd erupted in shouts:  
"She's not human!"  
"With the vampires hunting her, do you expect them to stop?"  
"Her name on him; how do you explain that?"  
"We kept silent as long as we could, my lord, but this has gone to far. This mother's son is dead, and all the signs point to her!"  
"That's insane! She was with me all this night!" Velkan roared out at the voice.  
"She's bewitched you, lord! With her evil ways, she seduced you until you're blind to the horrors that she commits!"  
"That's sheer shyte, and you know it!" It looked as if any moment, Velkan was ready to jump out at the speaker and strangle him.  
A woman came forward, young and beautiful, her face halfway covered by a hood. "A deadly snake slithers in-between your bedcovers, lord. You court and sleep with evil's sister." Velkan stopped dead in his pacing. "What did you just say to me?"  
Upstairs, Chesshika looked at the woman and shuddered. God, she felt...wrong. Suddenly, Chesshika jumped, her face draining of color. She reached out to the table near the bed, and grabbed her whip. She thrust the window open. "Velkan! No! It's-"Before she could say another word, Aleera dropped her hood and smiled viciously. "It's me, is what she means."  
The villagers dropped back in fear, and Velkan brought up his saber. Anna dropped her hand to her side, and pulled out her own saber. "So nice to see you well and...healthy." Aleera purred at Velkan. "Has she been treating you well? It looks it. You positively glow with...satisfaction." He gritted his teeth. "Say another word, Aleera..."  
"Say another word and what, you'll attack me? There's not enough fear in you, little boyar." Chesshika saw the vampiress's intent before she moved. Jumping from the window, she landed onto Aleera as the bride of Dracula changed form and took to the air as a bat-woman.  
Aleera shrieked and dropped with the sudden weight as Chesshika clamped down on her back, effectively stopping her wings. They hit the ground, and rolled across the stairs in a hissing ball of skin, wings and teeth. Aleera kicked Chesshika off her, and jumped up into the air. Diving and grabbing her whip from where it lay, Chesshika cracked it, wrapping it around the bride's ankle, and yanked. Aleera dropped from the sky again, screaming.  
Screams answered the vampiress's. From the top of the manor's roof, three shadows stepped forward. Verona and Marishka wailed in return, and the third figure dwarfed both other brides. Dracula stepped into the reflected torchlight and smiled. "A party? Without us? Oh, no." Turning into bat creatures, the three dropped from the roof.  
Dracula was a man again the instant he hit the stairs. "I see you received my message," he said, walking toward Chesshika. She froze up, her whip dropping from unfeeling fingers. Aleera leaped up again, as a woman, and grabbed Chesshika from behind, holding her. "Welcome," Aleera hissed to Dracula. He ignored her, and stared down at the captive girl. "Ah, so we meet again. So nice."  
Suddenly, a sword blade appeared through the front of Dracula's stomach. He whirled around, pulling it out. "Verona! Marishka! I thought I told you to take care of the boyar!" he yelled. But it wasn't Velkan's saber he held; it was Anna's. From over his shoulder, Chesshika could see Velkan held by the two other brides, who had his head bent back, licking his neck. Marishka's fangs sprouted, and Chesshika yelled.  
Kicking Aleera in the stomach, the vampire let go of her. Using Dracula's turned back as a springboard, she leaped through the air, landing on the figures of Velkan and the vampires. Rolling on top of Marishka, she jammed her thumb into the vampiress's eye. "So nice of you to drop in...thought I would return the favor, "she grunted out as the bride screamed in pain. A gunshot cut the air, and Chesshika's head shot up. Velkan was emptying his revolver's bullets into Verona as she advanced. Dracula looked up from chasing Anna with her own saber, and growled. "Time to leave, lovelies. This party is a bust." They took to the air, the guts of wind from their wings knocking the gathered people over. Cackling, the brides shot off toward the mountains, and Dracula stayed for a minute. "I hope you enjoyed my present," he called to Chesshika. "There's some blood left in him, if you want it." Turning, he followed his brides. The air still buffeting around them, Velkan crawled over to Chesshika. "Are you hurt?" he gasped, struggling to make himself heard over the wind howling. "I'm fine," she replied. "A little worse for the wear, but fine. You?" "The same." They stood up, and surveyed the damage. The villagers had fled back to their houses, and pieces of stone from the roof and tree branches littered the ground. Torches abandoned on the ground burned faintly. Anna walked forward from behind a small tree, grabbing her saber off the ground where Dracula had dropped it. "You're bleeding," she commented, looking at Chesshika's face. Velkan touched her forehead, and took his fingers away. Across the tips, they were smeared with blood. "I'm not sure if that's mine," Chesshika said. "Let's go in and get cleaned up," Velkan suggested.  
  
His gentle fingertips cleaned the cut with a rag and water. She winced as he drew the rag across it. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's deep." "Don't worry about it. How badly am I scratched up?"  
He handed her a mirror. She looked into it and flinched. "You did go for quite a rough ride," he said. She nodded. Not only was she bleeding from her forehead, she had a scratch across her cheek, and scrapes across her left shoulder. "It'll heal," Velkan said, and Anna nodded from behind him, taking the mirror from Chesshika. "Hey," Velkan said, looking at Chesshika. "It's fine. You're going to be fine." Chesshika gave him a weak smile and touched his chin, where Velkan had his own cut. "I'll be fine too," he said, as her hands dropped down to touch the cuts across his chest. "At least they scared the villagers away." Chesshika laughed. "Yes, they were quite effective for that. Do you think we should strike up some sort of truce along those lines? They see a mob, they can come and attack the village?" Velkan laughed. "Not quite. Come on, let's go back to bed." Anna nodded. "Try to get some sleep." Velkan shot Chesshika a look, and she could almost hear his voice, kidding, 'Doesn't she know anything by now?' Chesshika put a finger to her lips behind Anna's back, and Velkan grinned. "Ah, yes. That's right. Protect the sister's virgin thoughts." Anna turned around. "What?" They laughed at her, and she shook her head. "You two can't be serious. Tonight? You're both cut to ribbons. Do you have any idea how much that would hurt?" They stopped laughing at Anna, and stared at her. "Ah, oops," she said sheepishly. Velkan shook his head. "I don't want to know."  
  
Laughter and love in a time of fear and confusion were the two best things Chesshika could think of to heal wounds, both physical and emotional. She found both.  
  
A fingertip ran over her eyelid, slowly waking her from her deep sleep of dreams of the past. "Velkan, just a little longer," she begged. "Just a few more minutes..." Definite female laughter, shrill and cruel, startled her into wakefulness. "What the hell?!" Aleera and Verona jumped back, startled. "Hello, pettling," Aleera purred, walking back to Chesshika's side where she lay on a bed. "Where AM I?" Chesshika asked, drowsy yet wary of the vamiresses. "You're in Dracula's temporary home, Castle Frankenstein," Verona supplied as she walked forward and sat on the bottom of the bed. "Did your heart really just stop beating?" Chesshika sat up. "For something that is supposed to be terrifying, you're not that frightening, you know that?" she asked the vampiress. Verona shrugged, and Aleera glared at her. "She's still young," she said disdainfully. Ignoring the other vampire, Chesshika turned to Verona. "Yes, it 'just stopped beating'. But it's started beating again..." she said hurriedly, raising a hand to her chest after she said it. Her face fell. "Well, maybe not yet." Aleera cackled. "No need to worry about it starting again. It won't, by the time he's through with you." "He who?" Chesshika asked, defensive. "Dracula, of course," Aleera said, staring at Chesshika as if she had asked her if she really drank blood. "Hmm...we'll see," Chesshika said, a hard look in her eyes. "Come," Verona said, taking Chesshika's hand. "Let's get you dressed!" She clapped her hands in excitement, like a small child, and Chesshika felt a certain kinship with the innocent vampire. Looking at her, she realized that Verona hadn't been much older then she was now when the girl had been changed. "Your clothes are so pretty!" Verona exclaimed as she dragged Chesshika across the room to a bureau. "Look," she said, holding up something in a sheer black. "Isn't it just gorgeous?" The clothes she was holding in front of Chesshika's face seemed to have been made out of black gossamer. Loose pants with hems that boasted black obsidian beads glittered in the light, and the short tops' sleeves were long and open. "It looks...it looks exactly like your clothes, though," Chesshika supplied. "Yes, but they're black." Verona sighed. "Master doesn't let us wear black," she said wistfully. "Don't be foolish," Aleera scorned. "With your dark hair and eyes, it would be an awful color on you. Of course you can't wear it. My lord wants us to look beautiful, not foolish. Now me..." Verona rolled her eyes at the other vampire. "If my hair's too dark, then yours isn't light enough. She's the only one who's fair enough to wear black here," she gestured to Chesshika. Aleera hissed at Verona in anger, and Verona hissed back. Chesshika felt like standing between two angry vampires was not a safe place to be. 


	4. Translyvanian Angel Chapter Four

Chapter Four:  
  
"Why don't I just change?" Chesshika asked hurriedly. "Good idea," Aleera said. "Ooo, can I do your hair?" Verona pleaded. "It's so thick...I used to do Marishka's...it was about the same length, too." Aleera shot Verona a quick and hard look. "DON'T say HER name here! If he heard you..." "Marishka died," Chesshika supplied. "Van Helsing killed her." "Yes. He murdered her..." Aleera and Verona wailed. "He killed our sister..." They sobbed together for a moment, and then Aleera straightened up. "We were lonely." "That's why you're here!" Verona said. "He needs another bride. You're going to become our sister! Isn't that nice?" Aleera hissed at Verona. "He doesn't need another bride. He doesn't even need two." "And I suppose you would like to be his only bride?" Verona asked back, wide-eyed in innocence, but the sarcasm in her voice reflected her anger. The two vampire women fascinated Chesshika, but she didn't want to be around to see them kill each other when their fight broke out. "I'll just..." she started, sidestepping toward the door. "Oh, no! You mustn't leave. We're going to help you get prepared!" Verona said in dismay. Chesshika wondered if they could prepare her without killing each other first. "Yes," Aleera purred. "He's waiting for you."  
  
Half an hour later, Chesshika was dressed in the gossamer creation, hair swept back from her face, and arrayed in a manner of jewels. She kept twisting a ring on her finger around and around, and Verona kept pleading with her to take it off. It was a simple gold band, and Chesshika had worn it for three years. "Please, just take it off. It doesn't fit with any of your other jewelry," Verona coaxed, to no avail. "Never,' came the swift retort. It was true; it really didn't fit in with the splendor of gigantic and precious jewels that she wore around her neck, arms and fingers. Chesshika looked down at herself. She even had some of her own jewelry at the manor that was nicer then this that Velkan had given her. She laughed at the thought. 'The human boyar beats the immortal monster at yet one more thing,' she mused to herself. "He gave it to her," Aleera said suddenly, startling Chesshika out of her revere. "The dog." Verona's eyes widened, and she looked back at Chesshika's finger that the ring sat on. "Oh, that's so romantic," she sighed. "I never had rings before I came here. And he's not that bad at all when he's not wearing fur," she said, a glint in her eye. "Quite handsome." "Yes, Velkan is," Chesshika said, bristling at Aleera. "He's not a dog." Aleera shrugged. "Wears fur and walks on four legs three nights a month during the full moon; what's the difference?" Chesshika snarled at her, and Verona stepped in between them before she could jump on Aleera. Chesshika stopped short of the dark girl, not wanting to hit her when she was after Aleera. The door opened, and all three turned. Dracula stepped into the room, and immediately, the two vampires went to him, cooing and purring. Chesshika stayed where she stood, wary of the Count. "Oh, come now. Join us. You will be soon, anyway," he said, sweeping Aleera aside to create a space next to him. Aleera pouted and tried to walk back to his side, but he pushed her aside again, motioning to Chesshika to take her place. The vampiress shot Chesshika a look of pure venom. Chesshika glared back, and stood firm where she was, refusing Dracula. "Now, what's this game?" he asked. "Fine. If you won't come to me, I'll go to you," he reasoned, leaving Verona and Aleera behind and walking to Chesshika. "You look stunning, darling. Absolutely ravishing," he said, gathering Chesshika in his arms and pressing his face into her neck. She reared her head back, distancing herself from him. "Oh, don't play coy," Dracula admonished her, pulling her back. Suddenly, he was kissing her, his hot mouth devouring hers. She felt dizzy, and her mind screamed in joy. 'My lord is kissing me! My lord is kissing...' She became confused, her mind feeling fuzzy. Determined, she shook of his hold on her mind. 'He's no my lord...Velkan was my lord...IS my lord...will always be my lord...why is he?' Something about it just screamed wrong! in the back of her mind. She instantly realized what was going on. 'Oh my God, he's going to make me serve him! I'm going to be this monster's bride!' Dracula deepened the kiss, his hands sliding to her waist and the back of her neck. She lost her thoughts for a minute as his power over her flooded in ecstasy. Gaining it back, she thought frantically. 'But I thought I was going to end up marrying Velkan...he was the only one I wanted...he was going to be the one I married. Not Dracula. Not like this...it was going to be different. I loved Velkan...now, I'm going to be forced to betroth this monster...' Two lone teardrops trailed out of her eye, and Dracula stopped, looking up at her. "Come, we can't have this," he whispered softly, licking the salty tears off her skin. She flinched, trying to back farther away from him. Looking up, she realized that the two other brides had disappeared. She was alone with him. The knowledge made her struggle harder, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her hard against him. 


End file.
